In one embodiment, a sortation system has a conveyor system and mobile drive units. The conveyor system has a conveyor surface that carries payloads along a direction that extends from a first conveyor end to a second conveyor end. The conveyor system has support structure that supports the conveyor surface above a floor so as to define a space between the conveyor surface and the floor. The space is sized so that the mobile drive units can drive under the conveyor surface towards the second conveyor end. The conveyor system has sensors supported that are positioned to detect positions of the mobile drive units under the conveyor surface. The conveyor system moves at least a portion of the conveyor surface based on the sensors detecting the presence of each mobile drive unit so as to synchronize movement of the payloads from the conveyor surface to the mobile drive units.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A sortation system configured to sort payloads at a facility, the sortation system comprising: a mobile drive unit system comprising a plurality of mobile drive units configured to carry the payloads to different local destinations at the facility; and a conveyor system comprising: a first conveyor end and a second conveyor end that are offset from one another; a conveyor surface configured to carry payloads along a direction that extends from the first conveyor end to the second conveyor end; and sensors supported by the conveyor system and positioned to detect positions and speeds of the mobile drive units as the mobile drive units travel under the conveyor surface, wherein the mobile drive unit system is configured to control movement each mobile drive unit under the conveyor surface when a payload is ready for transfer, and wherein the conveyor system is configured to move at least a portion of the conveyor surface based on the sensors detecting the mobile drive units and adjust speeds of the conveyor surface based on the detected speeds of the mobile drive units so as to synchronize movement of the payloads from the conveyor surface to the mobile drive units as the mobile drive units move out from underneath the conveyor surface.
2. The sortation system of claim 1 , wherein the sensors are spaced from one another along a direction that extends from the first conveyor end to the second conveyor end.
3. The sortation system of claim 2 , wherein the sortation system is configured to determine a time when each mobile drive unit moves out from under the second conveyor end based on the speed.
4. The sortation system of claim 3 , wherein the sortation system is configured to start movement of the at least a portion of the conveyor surface based on the determined time so as to move the payload onto a respective one of the mobile drive units.
5. The sortation system of claim 1 , wherein the conveyor system is configured to move the payloads from the conveyor surface to the mobile drive units while the mobile drive units are in motion.
6. The sortation system of claim 1 , wherein the mobile drive units each have a conveyor surface that is configured to receive a payload and is configured to move so as to discharge the payload from the mobile drive unit to one of the local destinations.
7. The sortation system of claim 1 , wherein the conveyor system comprises a scanner configured and positioned to scan the payloads as the payloads are carried by the conveyor surface to identify payload identifiers of the payloads, wherein each payload identifier is a unique identifier that differentiates each payload from the other payloads and is masked such that information about the local destinations is unknown to the conveyor system.
8. The sortation system of claim 7 , wherein the mobile drive unit system is configured to receive payload identifiers from the conveyor system, and determine the local destinations for the payload identifiers.
9. A conveyor system, comprising: a first conveyor end and a second conveyor end that are offset from one another; a conveyor surface configured to carry payloads along a direction that extends from the first conveyor end to the second conveyor end; support structure configured to support the conveyor surface above a floor so as to define a space between the conveyor surface and the floor, the space sized such that mobile drive units can drive under the conveyor surface towards the second conveyor end; and at least one sensor supported by the conveyor system and positioned to detect positions and speeds of the mobile drive units as the mobile drive units travel under the conveyor surface, wherein the conveyor system is configured to move at least a portion of the conveyor surface based on the at least one sensor detecting the mobile drive units and adjust speeds of the conveyor surface based on the detected speeds of the mobile drive units so as to synchronize movement of the payloads from the conveyor surface to the mobile drive units as the mobile drive units move out from underneath the conveyor surface.
10. The conveyor system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one sensor includes a plurality of sensors spaced from one another along a direction that extends from the first conveyor end to the second conveyor end.
11. The conveyor system of claim 9 , wherein the conveyor system is configured to determine a time when each mobile drive unit will move out from under the second conveyor end based on the speed.
12. The conveyor system of claim 11 , wherein the conveyor system is configured to start movement of the at least a portion of the conveyor surface based on the determined time so as to move the payload onto a respective one of the mobile drive units.
13. The conveyor system of claim 9 , wherein the conveyor system comprises a plurality of conveyor segments, each comprising a portion of the conveyor surface, and each portion of the conveyor surface is configured to move independently of the other portions so as to space payloads from one another along the conveyor surface.
14. The conveyor system of claim 9 , wherein each of the at least one sensor is a photo-eye sensor or light curtain.
15. A method of sorting payloads at a facility having a conveyor system and a mobile drive unit system, the method comprising: sensing movement and speed of a mobile drive unit of the mobile drive unit system under a conveyor surface of the conveyor system with a plurality of sensors of the conveyor system that are spaced from one another along a direction that extends from a first end to a second end of the conveyor surface; synchronizing movement of the conveyor surface with the mobile drive unit based on the sensed movement, the synchronizing comprising adjusting speed of the conveyor surface based on the sensed movement of the mobile drive unit; moving the payload from the conveyor surface to the mobile drive unit; and causing the mobile drive unit to move the payload to a local destination at the facility.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the moving step comprises sending a payload identifier to the mobile drive unit system, the payload identifier masking information about the local destination such that the local destination is unknown to the conveyor system, and the causing step comprises determining at the mobile drive unit system the local destination.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
September 28, 2018
August 18, 2020
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